Learning to love
by jwg676
Summary: Sakura and Naruto learn to love...


**Title:** Learning to love

**Rating:** G, action, romance

**Pairing / Characters: **Haruno Sakura / Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Tsunade

**Word Count: **2, 646 words

**Warnings: **Some spoilers for after the timeskip

**Summary: **Naruto is injured after a mission, Sakura's healing goes horribly wrong but love abounds

**A/N: **I owe GOF22 an apology for this. I was given a request, but I changed some of the things because everyone needs a little hope, and I couldn't bear the thought of Naruto – well, you'll understand when you read the story. So GOF22, if you're out there, gomen'nasai…

REQUESTED BY AND FOR GOFF22… HOPE YOU LIKE IT…

'He, that was easy.'

'Of course it was, fool, like any of them were at our level.'

'Oi, who the hell are you calling a fool, moron?'

'I'm not the moron, prize idiot.'

'Sasuke, you're beginning to irritate me.'

'That's because it's so easy to do. Dumbass.'

'SASUKE YOU BASTARD, STOP WITH THE INSULTS ALREADY! IT WASN'T AS THOUGH YOU DID ANYTHING, YOU CONCEITED BLOWHARD –'

'WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING CONCEITED, YOU PATHETIC WORM, YOU THICKHEADED MORON –'

Kakashi glared at them both. 'Stop it you two, or are you trying to alert every shinobi within a mile to our location? We are still in enemy territory.'

'And if you get us killed, I will personally rip you two apart,' Sakura growled in a low, menacing voice.

Shikamaru sniggered. 'And she will too. Ai, this is troublesome!'

'Aren't you supposed to be exhausted, Sakura-chan? Naruto demanded. 'You were at the hospital all night, remember?'

Sakura flushed. 'How do you know that?'

Naruto laughed. 'Saw you this morning. So aren't you tired?'

Sakura glared at him. 'Do I look tired? I can handle myself, Uzumaki Naruto.'

'Ok, ok, don't get so defensive,' Naruto grumbled, falling back and allowing her to go first.

In a silence broken only by Chouji's munching, the group continued on to Konoha. Naruto in the rear, was considering all the ways he was going to persuade Jiraiya to spar with him; for some reason, the frog hermit had pointedly refused, saying only that Naruto was crazy if he thought that anyone would be fool enough to fight against the kyuubi. Naruto rolled his eyes in remembrance, before catching an unfamiliar smell in the air. His nose twitched as he tried to identify the scent, a musky, slightly sweet smell, like decay and flowers.

He paused in mid leap, twisting through the air and coming to rest on a branch, facing the opposite direction.

'What the –'

Before he could even blink, there was a flash of silver, and Naruto ducked instinctively as a long, slender katana buried itself in the trunk where his head had been only seconds ago.

Naruto pulled out a pair of kunai, crouching low, a hand on either side of his face. Blue eyes narrowed as his opponent came out of the tree line above him, swiftly gathering details – the leaf forehead protector, the sharp line through the symbol in the middle of it, the bandages covering his face, the piercing green eyes, hands, lifted in an unfamiliar seal position.

Kakashi was already flying back towards him, moving so fast he was just a blur, having recognized the distinctive sakki of the nin Naruto was facing.

'No!' he roared. 'You're no match for him, get out of the way –'

Naruto ignored him, a clone at his side, swiftly forming a rasengan. Before he could use it however, the nin disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'What the hell –'

'Behind you!' Sasuke yelled. 'Move, you total idiot!'

It was too late.

Sasuke's sharingan had been able to see what Naruto could not – the faint blur of the missing nin as he grabbed his katana, pushing off from the trunk and flying forward. Instinctively, Naruto flung up his hand and felt the edge of the katana bite into his skin as the nin ripped the blade free. The pain was overwhelming, and Naruto was only half aware of the scream as he lost his balance and fell through the trees.

'Naruto!'

Kakashi ignored the nin in favour of dropping through the trees, catching Naruto before he hit the floor.

There was blood everywhere, soaking into his clothes, slippery on his hands, staining the sleeve of Naruto's jumpsuit.

Kakashi laid him on the floor gently, feeling the other members of his team drop down beside him.

'The total idiot,' Sasuke said furiously, yanking out a kunai with unnecessary force and tearing open the sleeve around the wound so Sakura could examine it. 'The moron, the silly fool, the –'

He ran out of adjectives as he replaced the kunai, but Kakashi heard the concern and fear underlining his tone. Naruto was rapidly going grey, his skin losing what little colour it had left. Even Kakashi was shocked at the severity of the wound, the way he could see the blood pumping out of the gash.

'Is he going to be all right?' Shikamaru demanded.

'He needs surgery right away if he's going to keep his arm,' Sakura answered, her voice shaking.

Naruto's eyelids fluttered, and he blinked up at her. 'Sakura-chan –'

'Hush, lie still. You're going to be fine,' Sakura said softly. 'Sasuke-kun, Chouji – please hold him steady for me –'

They did as she requested, their eyes on her as she activated her healing power. Clasping her hands together, Sakura focused, and light green chakra slowly built up around her hand. She lowered it carefully, holding it just above the wound, watching as it slowly healed under the chakra scalpel. Despite her focus, her eyes kept blurring, and she closed them briefly, trying to dispel the tiredness that had dogged the mission.

A cough and a sudden cry made her eyes fly open.

'Sakura! Look what you're doing –'

'Oh my god!' Sakura gasped, the blood draining from her face. Although Naruto lay still, there was a second, gaping wound in his chest where her hand had faltered. The lethal chakra scalpel had torn open the muscles down the left side of his ribs, and she could already feel the frantic beating of his heart as it tried to keep up with the added blood loss.

'You idiot!' Sasuke snapped at her. 'You told him you weren't tired, that you had things under control, that you could handle yourself! Is this the way you handle yourself, by killing your own team mate?'

Near tears, Sakura said 'it was an accident! I never meant –'

'Stop it!' Kakashi ordered, already removing Naruto's jacket and ripping the sleeve off. 'This isn't going to help him at all. Shikamaru, lift his arm above his head and Chouji, tie this around the wound. Don't tie it too tightly, we don't want to cut off his circulation. Sakura, stop the bleeding from his chest, and pay attention this time. Sasuke, calm down. Tsunade will be able to heal him once we get back to Konoha.'

'If he survives,' Sasuke muttered, shooting a tearful Sakura a dirty look.

'I said I was sorry,' Sakura whispered.

'Tell that to Naruto,' Sasuke growled.

Within minutes, the six of them were flying to Konoha.

Sakura paced restlessly, waiting for Tsunade tell them how Naruto was doing. She avoided Kakashi, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Chouji, trying to justify the damage she had done to Naruto.

_I was tired… I've been working so hard… I lost my focus for a second… I – I –_

The door opened, and Tsunade stepped out into the corridor. Her expression was bleak, but her eyes were gentle as they rested on Sakura's face.

'Sakura… sit down,' she said softly.

Sakura went rigid. 'Just tell me how he is.'

'The damage to his heart wasn't as serious as I first thought. He'll need some rest, and he should be fine, but – there's no easy way to say this – his upper arm is paralysed. Naruto will never be able to continue living as a shinobi – the damage is irreparable.'

Sakura heard everything through a vacuum. Paralysed… never to be a shinobi again… his dreams of being Hokage…

She might have just run him through with a kunai, because nothing more could have destroyed him as surely as that.

Ignoring Tsunade and her friends and sensei, Sakura fled and didn't look back.

_Three weeks later:_

Naruto stood at the window, staring down into the street with unseeing eyes. He was still fighting to come to terms with what had happened, unable to understand how his whole life had come to a halt.

In the last three weeks, everyone but Sakura had come to see him, and although he hadn't turned anyone away, it had hurt him deeply to see how healthy they were.

As the knock sounded again, he turned from the window and crossed the room, pulling the door open. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Sakura standing there.

'Naruto…'

'What do you want?' he asked flatly.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears. 'I... I just…'

'Yes? You just what?'

'Wanted to apologise,' she whispered.

Naruto laughed harshly. 'Right. You ruin everything and now you want to apologise three whole weeks later? Don't make me laugh.'

'It's true! I feel horrible…'

'So horrible that you couldn't even come and see me. So horrible – how do you think I feel? No one will want a Hokage who can't protect their village. Thanks to you, I'll never be able to follow my dreams again.'

He stared into her face for a minute before making a disgusted sound. 'You know what, I don't have to deal with this. Get out, Sakura-chan. I don't really want to see you anyway.'

Naruto didn't give her a chance to respond, but slammed the door in her face.

She was sitting at the river again, having told Tsunade she wasn't feeling well enough to help out at the hospital. Tsunade had seemed to understand the depression her apprentice was suffering from, and had told her to get some rest, to come back when she felt better.

Sakura didn't think that was possible, as if anything could make her feel better. How could she heal others when she couldn't even help her own team mate? No, they were better off without her, better off with a really capable healer who didn't kill people when she was tired…

'I thought I'd find you here.'

Sakura jumped at the voice, twisting around to see none other than Naruto standing behind her. She couldn't help but glance at his arm, but with the way he was standing, it looked no different.

'Yeah, it looks the same. It's only when I try to move it that it feels odd.' Naruto sat down beside her, kicking off his shoes and dunking his feet in the river. 'Ah, this feels good.'

'Why are you here?' Sakura asked dully.

Naruto shrugged. 'I was worried. Tsunade no baachan said you haven't been yourself lately, so I thought I'd come find you and tell you that other people need your skills.'

Sakura turned away. 'They don't need me. They need someone who isn't so careless.'

'You aren't careless, that was a once off. Don't deprive people of your help, Sakura-chan. You're really good at healing.'

'Which is why I nearly killed you, ruined your life, your dreams…' she turned to him, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. 'Naruto… I really didn't mean to hurt you… you were right, I was tired, I was careless, I couldn't handle it…'

Naruto's expression softened. 'It's ok, Sakura-chan. For a while I was angry with you, but now… there will be other paths for me to follow, other ways to become Hokage.'

His eyes gleamed. 'I'm not giving up on my dreams at all.'

With a sob, Sakura threw herself against him, and Naruto hugged her awkwardly with his left arm.

'Where are _you_ going?' Sasuke asked curiously as Naruto zipped up his jacket.

'Lunch,' Naruto answered cheerfully.

Sasuke studied him through narrowed eyes, before he understood. 'A date! You're going on a date!'

Naruto grinned. 'So what if I am, you bastard?'

Sasuke went red. 'How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?'

Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Whatever. See ya!'

Sasuke watched him go before he yelled after him 'tell Sakura I said to be careful, she doesn't want to get caught by your so called charm!'

Naruto stopped as Sasuke's words sank in, and when they did, he bent down, scooped up a rock and threw it at Sasuke.

'YOU PIG, YOU MORON, YOU JERK, HOW DARE YOU –'

Sasuke laughed, and Naruto glared at him for a second longer. 'Moron,' he muttered, and walked off.

Sasuke, still laughing, rubbed the spot on his arm where the rock had hit him, and his eyes widened suddenly. 'No… no way…' he whispered, replaying the throw in his mind. As expected of a shinobi, the throw had been accurate, hard, the mark of a ninja who had trained for hour after hour throwing kunai. The only difference was that Naruto had thrown the rock with _his left hand…_

Naruto flopped down on the blanket and sighed in contentment. 'This is nice.'

Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, blushing as he murmured 'but not as nice as being with you.'

It didn't seem possible, she mused, pulling up her legs and resting her arms on her knees. Since his return to Konoha after training with Jiraiya-sama, she had noticed the changes in him, and not all of those changes were mental. He had become stronger true, but also taller, handsomer, his eyes sparkling with purpose as well as laughter.

In fact, she would have been lying had she said she hadn't been attracted to him. Somewhere, somehow, they were not just team mates anymore, not just friends.

Her blush deepened when she caught him watching her.

'What?'

'I was just admiring the view,' Naruto said lazily. 'You've changed a lot, Sakura-chan.'

To cover up her confusion, Sakura said tartly 'most people would call it growing up, Naruto.'

Naruto chuckled, sitting up. 'I meant lately. Why do you blush whenever I talk to you?'

'I do not!' Sakura said indignantly.

'Yes you do, you're even blushing now. Come on, tell me why. Please?'

Naruto pulled his best puppy dog face at her, and Sakura sighed.

'Why do you want to know so badly?'

Naruto shrugged. 'I just want to know if you're going to blush when I kiss you.'

Sakura froze, tell tale colour creeping back into her cheeks. 'K-kiss me?'

'Well, yes. That's what you do when you like someone, right, you kiss them?'

'I – well – that is – you – I mean me –'

'Sakura – shut up,' Naruto told her, and leaned towards her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

When he pulled away he was still smiling, but Sakura found herself unable to breathe.

_A kiss… just a kiss…_

'Why – why did you kiss me?' she whispered.

'I told you, I like you. No actually… it's more than that. I love you.'

Her eyes widened. 'You love me? You love me?'

Naruto's amusement deepened. 'Are you going to repeat everything I say?'

Sakura shook her head. 'No…'

'Good, because I want to kiss you again.'

This time, Sakura closed her eyes. 'I love you too,' she told him softly as he lowered his head.

Sakura lay beside him on the blanket, her fingers twined with his, a strange warmth stealing through her.

'I saw Tsunade no baachan today,' Naruto said suddenly. 'She had a look at my arm.'

Sakura sat up. 'What did she say?'

A small smile tilted Naruto's lips. 'It's weird but something seems to be happening – I've been getting these tingles lately. She thinks the feeling might be coming back.'

'Naruto, that's wonderful!' Sakura gasped. 'You must be so happy…'

'It's good news,' Naruto admitted. 'I might be able to start training again… that makes me happy but…'

'But what?'

'Not as happy as I am right now, sitting with you.' Naruto grinned. 'You see, Sakura-chan, you healed me after all – love can do that, I think.'

Sakura was speechless again, but even as she lay back down, resting her head on Naruto's shoulder, she couldn't help but think that maybe this was going to become a common complaint.

Nothing more needed to be said. Together, they lay watching the clouds float in an idyllic blue sky.


End file.
